The 2023 TCS London Marathon announced its men’s and women’s fields yesterday, and with several world record holders, the women’s race has the potential to be the fastest marathon ever.
The marathon is the largest annual fundraising event on earth and has a massive appearance fee budget, which allows it to attract world-class talent year after year.
The race will feature marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei, Olympic marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir, 2022 London champion Yalemzerf Yehualaw, Tigist Assefa (the third-fastest marathoner ever), Amsterdam Marathon champion Almaz Ayana (2:17), Commonwealth Games 10k champion Eilish McColgan and Emily Sisson and Keira D’Amato, the two fastest American marathoners in history.
The women’s field will have five sub-2:18 runners, which ties the upcoming Boston Marathon for the most in a marathon’s history, and 11 total sub-2:20 athletes (the most ever).
“This is quite simply the greatest women’s field ever assembled for a marathon – arguably the greatest field ever assembled for a women’s distance race,” said London’s race director Hugh Brasher.
Ayana of Ethiopia had the fastest women’s marathon debut in history in 2:17 at Amsterdam, and it remains the only marathon she has ever run. We’ll soon find out just how much faster the former 10,000m world record holder and Rio gold medalist can go against a stacked field.
This will be the first head-to-head marathon in over three years for D’Amato and Sisson, who both broke the American marathon record in 2022. Sisson currently holds the marathon record and also set the half-marathon American record last month in 66:52. The Americans’ battle in Europe should be one to remember.
“I have unfinished business now in the marathon, thanks to Emily Sisson,” D’Amato said in January. “I want to go run as fast as I’ve ever run.”
On top of the seasoned marathon field, mile world record holder Sifan Hassan will make her marathon debut at London.
Hassan, who won the 5000m and 10,000m at the Tokyo Olympics, said she’s planning to stick to the track for now but wants to try the marathon “without preparing for the marathon.”
“I’m just a curious person,” Hassan said of the upcoming London Marathon test.
Hassan has drawn comparisons to Mo Farah, who also ran London two years after winning the 2012 Olympic 5k/10k double.
Farah is running London again this year in what he said “will probably be my last year” before retirement. He’ll be up against a men’s field at London that has four of the five fastest marathon men of all time including Kenenisa Bekele, Kelvin Kiptum, Birhanu Legese and Mosinet Geremew. Also in the mix are world champion Tamirat Tola and defending London champion Amos Kipruto.
The only one missing from the top five all-time at London is world record holder Eliud Kipchoge, who will race the Boston Marathon this spring for the first time ever.
Even without Kipchoge, London will be the only marathon ever with seven sub-2:04 runners and has the potential to be one of the fastest men’s races ever as well.
